Thoughts In Light of a Presidential Impeachment
David Anguish
We have previously mentioned the views David Lipscomb held on the Christian's involvement in government (included in the series of three articles entitled, "Things of Caesar, Things of God," published in these pages Feb 18 - Mar 4, 1998). Though he maintained an interest in things political throughout his life, he ceased any direct involvement in civil affairs - even counseling against participation in the voting process - after his experience in the Civil War.
He was, of course, ridiculed by some for his convictions. That is no less the case today, some ninety years after his death. Upon further reflection, ridicule probably is the wrong word. Relatively few in the church know anything about him, probably nothing more than that a university bears his name. Those who do know more, who know his views on civil government, generally do not so much ridicule him as dismiss him as the ignorant child of a backward region in less informed times.
We still do not think the position Lipscomb took is a necessary conclusion from the teaching of Scripture. Involvement with a country's government by a Christian is, we believe, something the New Testament has authorized. The extent to which that involvement is pursued, assuming of course that godly principles are maintained, is a matter of individual judgment. But we do believe that the subject needs more attention among us, particularly as regards the fundamental principle upon which Lipscomb based his view.
For Lipscomb, the issue turned on Jesus' response to Pilate in John 18:36. Confronted with the question, "Are you the King of the Jews?" and with the fact that his "own nation and the chief priests [had] delivered" him to Pilate, Jesus answered the ruler, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm" (NASB).
While we did not watch the proceedings in their entirety, we did see enough of the House impeachment debate to be reminded that, as Christians, this world is not our home and its battles are not our ultimate fight. To call for righteousness is, we believe, a Christian duty. To do what we can, with the opportunities we have, wherever we are, to see righteousness prevail - even in political and social arenas - is a legitimate concern for people who care about the things of God. But as we watched the various speeches we saw - speeches from both sides of the political aisle which varied in their grandstanding and substance - we found ourselves becoming ever more firm in our conviction that politics and social justice are not the main battle with which we must be concerned.
A hundred years from now, the impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton will be the subject of the same kind of test questions in history classes that many of us have answered about Andrew Johnson, the first president to be impeached. And we suspect that, a million years from now, as we count time, no one will care.
What will matter then is whether we accepted God's grace through faith in Jesus. What will matter is how many people we persuaded out of hell and encouraged into heaven. God doesn't call us to ignore our world, nor even to be uninvolved in its affairs. But he does call us to remember that the battle which must take priority is one which is far greater and more significant than any we will fight in this world (cf. 2 Cor 10:3-5; Eph 6:10-18).
Let's renew our commitment to His cause.